At Microsoft's Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco this morning, Redmond officially announced Windows Phone 8. The company confirmed what we've suspected for many months now: Windows Phone 8 will be built around the same core components as Windows 8.

The current Windows Phone 7.5 operating system is built on Microsoft's Windows CE platform, designed for embedded systems with tight memory constraints and slow processors. Windows Phone 8 will instead be built on the Windows NT platform, and in so doing will inherit its much richer feature set: support for multicore processors, robust file systems, extensive device driver support, a capable multimedia framework, and more.

With the new kernel, Microsoft is also enabling the creation of native code applications written in C++ for the first time on Windows Phone. In version 7.5, all applications are developed in C# or Visual Basic .NET and compiled to platform-independent bytecode. While this has proven easy to use and attractive to many developers, it makes it hard for game developers to eke out all the performance the hardware can offer. It also precludes the use of useful libraries that developers on iOS, Android, and Windows can take advantage of.

Windows Phone 8's native code support addresses both issues. Native code development will produce programs that run directly on the ARM processors that Windows Phone supports. This should boost performance, and will greatly extend source code compatibility with other platforms.

While this has particular appeal to game developers—they'll be able to more easily port 3D engines based on Direct3D to the phone platform—they won't be the only beneficiaries. Microsoft said that embedded database engine SQLite, for example, will be available for phone developers. Though widely used in iOS programs, SQLite has been hitherto unavailable on Windows Phone (as it's written in C). The inability to use libraries such as this has been one of the biggest pain points for Windows Phone developers, and the new native code support is likely to be warmly welcomed.

The native code support won't cater to every possible demand, however. Notably, OpenGL ES, the 3D API used by iOS, won't be included, and so 3D applications will have to be rewritten to use Direct3D.

Though the core components will be shared, Microsoft did not go into detail about which APIs would be available to phone developers. Windows 8 introduces a new API named WinRT that is designed for the development of Metro-style applications. Windows Phone 8 will support some pieces of WinRT, along with some unspecified subset of Windows 8's security, networking, media, audio, and sensor APIs. Longer term, the company plans to align the two platforms ever more closely.

Windows Phone will also contain unique APIs of its own where it makes sense to do so. For example, the current platform has two user interface constructs called Panorama (which breaks up a larger application into a set of discrete screens) and Pivot (which provides filtered views of data) that are tailored to the constraints of small-screen devices. These will continue to be a feature of the phone platform.

With the switch in kernels, Microsoft is extending the Windows Phone platform to support processors with two, four, or potentially even more cores. Windows Phone 8 will include full device encryption based on Windows 8's BitLocker technology. Removable storage on SD cards will also be included in version 8. The browser will get a corresponding update, with Windows Phone 8 including Internet Explorer 10.

In addition to improving the capabilities of the operating system today, Microsoft believes that the transition will increase its ability to keep the platform abreast of new hardware developments in the future. Device drivers, for example, should be substantially, if not completely, portable between desktop Windows and the phone; in turn, this should allow Microsoft and third parties to more rapidly incorporate support for new sensors, wireless networking standards, and so on.

Early fruits of this easier hardware support will include support for new GPUs along with a couple of new screen resolutions (1280×768 and 1280×720, in addition to the current 800×480), and support for NFC chips.

Microsoft is describing the kernel change as another "reset," as significant in some ways as the abandonment of Windows Mobile 6.x and the development of Windows Phone 7. While the improved hardware support will please OEMs competing on spec sheets and the new native code support will please developers, it does come at some cost: there won't be any ability to update current Windows Phone devices to the new operating system. Windows Phone 8 will retain full compatibility with all current Windows Phone 7 applications, but current users will never be ushered into the NT-powered future.

"it does come at some cost: there won't be any ability to update current Windows Phone devices to the new operating system."

Boom.

That's the sound of the headshot to sales and, more importantly, margins on the likes of the Lumia 900.

Mr. Bright's article on the 900 being "a good phone you probably shouldn't buy" now looks positively prescient. Nokia will be in for some really rough quarters coming up as the write-downs on WP7 hardware will be steep. It'll also might mean RIM's BB10 has a little more of a fighting chance.

Well, you know, I don't mind taking advantage of the WP7 write-downs and hunting down a Lumia 900. Under contract I probably will be able to get a partially subsidized WP8 device no less than a year later. I'm cool with that!

It's not fragmentation if no one is using it. What was WP7 at? Like 3%? I am glad they are finally ridding themselves of WinCE. About time. I am still not getting WP8 though because I do not like their tile system which makes it a pain for those who like to use lots of apps.

Allows some diversity of hardware, without the atrocious over-fragmentation of Android. MS will ensure that any approved chips+screen will work before allowing them. Android builders slap together whatever parts they want and then apps don't work.

While I'm disappointed that my focus won't get an update, I have to give Microsoft some props. Its obvious now that they have had a long-term strategy for some time and are sticking to it with some great new products. This will keep Apple and Google innovating, which will keep Microsoft innovating. Yay capitalism!

... I am still not getting WP8 though because I do not like their tile system which makes it a pain for those who like to use lots of apps.

The tile system is actually very useful, as it's a bonified home screen that shows me the information I want to see each time I turn on (or unlock) my phone. If I want to see a list of all my apps, I simply swipe to the right (a-la iPhone), and I see a nice long list of my apps that I can quickly scroll down. Or, I can click an alphabetical group letter (a, b, c, etc.), which pops up the alphabet, omitting those letters that have no apps under them, allowing me to click on a letter to jump down the list to my apps that start with that letter.

IMHO, after using an iPhone for a couple of years, I saw this as a welcome change for quickly opening the app I want, rather than having to swipe through "pages" of apps, which may or may not have folder groups.

"it does come at some cost: there won't be any ability to update current Windows Phone devices to the new operating system."

Boom.

That's the sound of the headshot to sales and, more importantly, margins on the likes of the Lumia 900.

Mr. Bright's article on the 900 being "a good phone you probably shouldn't buy" now looks positively prescient. Nokia will be in for some really rough quarters coming up as the write-downs on WP7 hardware will be steep. It'll also might mean RIM's BB10 has a little more of a fighting chance.

I'd guesstimate no more than 5% of shoppers care about the upgrade. 10% at best. I see most people around me with Android or iOS who don't even know what version they are running right now, let alone base their shopping on a future prospect of an upgrade.

You should buy a phone if it satisfies your needs as it is sold. Also, if you avoid the long-term contracts and just pay for the device upfront, you can sell it off later if you want to upgrade. And no, paying for a contract-free device does NOT result in overall higher cost if you choose an appropriate plan.

This would be a bigger issue if WP had a larger marketshare than they do. As it is their marketshare is so little they can afford to make moves like this because contrary to what the MS haters seem to think, the vast majority of people who will buy cell phones haven't bought one yet. This is a set up for their future. Hell look at it like this, they can't get much worse than they are now marketshare wise so what's it gonna hurt? lol

This kind of feels like a kick in the balls after I just got a Lumia 900.

It shouldn't, you made a good choice. Part of this announcement was the update to v7.8 for WP7 handsets, and it adds the new UI and many of the new features. The only stuff you lose is support for new hardware features(which your handset can't support anyways) and native code apps. WP8 apps that do not use native code will still work and be installable on WP7.8 handsets.

Given that it will be a year or two before many WP8 native code apps appear, you got the best phone of the current generation, it will be updated to essentially look/feel like WP8, and compatibility with most WP8 apps, and in two years when your contract is up, the WP8 app marketplace should be far more mature than it is today.

How does this work with the idea of VPs (Virtual Phones... or Virtual Machines on phones) or whatever that have been surfacing... the idea where you can basically have two phones running on one phone (work/personal) with appropriate security between them?

This would be a bigger issue if WP had a larger marketshare than they do. As it is their marketshare is so little they can afford to make moves like this because contrary to what the MS haters seem to think, the vast majority of people who will buy cell phones haven't bought one yet. This is a set up for their future. Hell look at it like this, they can't get much worse than they are now marketshare wise so what's it gonna hurt? lol

Eh to be honest I like the system but as far as market share? I'm not terriby interested in support 8 if I have to buy a new phone for 9, 10, etc. Makes the iPhone much more attractive as uninterested as I am in it because I see no point in supporting a product they're just going to drop a year or two later. Of course if it works for you then it works period I guess...

Eh to be honest I like the system but as far as market share? I'm not terriby interested in support 8 if I have to buy a new phone for 9, 10, etc. Makes the iPhone much more attractive as uninterested as I am in it because I see no point in supporting a product they're just going to drop a year or two later. Of course if it works for you then it works period I guess...

In the USA, you typically upgrade every two years regardless. The carrier contract is usually for two years and that subsidizes your phone. After two years, your price doesn't go down because your phone has been paid for... so it's actually a better deal for the consumer to get a new phone every two years (along with a 2 year contract renewal) which, if there are new phones at the time, makes upgrading easy.

In some ways it makes sense to go for a unified OS model, but I don't think WP7 failed because it used a different kernel from the desktop variant, it failed because feature-wise it was always two or three steps behind iOS and Android.

So, does this mean now that viruses written for the PC will run on the phone as well with little to no modification? Also, I wonder if they'll have to ramp up updates so that when a Windows security fix comes out then Windows Phone gets it too. With the PC and Phone sharing the same kernel, what sort of vulnerabilities does this open up?

... I am still not getting WP8 though because I do not like their tile system which makes it a pain for those who like to use lots of apps.

The tile system is actually very useful, as it's a bonified home screen that shows me the information I want to see each time I turn on (or unlock) my phone. If I want to see a list of all my apps, I simply swipe to the right (a-la iPhone), and I see a nice long list of my apps that I can quickly scroll down. Or, I can click an alphabetical group letter (a, b, c, etc.), which pops up the alphabet, omitting those letters that have no apps under them, allowing me to click on a letter to jump down the list to my apps that start with that letter.

IMHO, after using an iPhone for a couple of years, I saw this as a welcome change for quickly opening the app I want, rather than having to swipe through "pages" of apps, which may or may not have folder groups.

This.

I have a friend who's an Mac fanboy. But he refuses to buy an iPhone because it's lack of a home screen. He much prefers Android.

Sure, Siri could tell you what today's weather and the forecast is. But it's on the home screen. Siri could tell you the score of the game. Or that's on the home screen too. Right under the weather, and right above your stock quotes.

Being able to add one-button calling and one-button texting to the people you call/text the most drastically increases the speed at which these tasks take. From power settings to calendars to your most frequently played games. It's all on your home screen. It's an understated Android feature.

Windows is just rearranging that same home screen, an unspoken treasure among Android users. iOS fans may not see the value, but that's because they've never had one.

fitten wrote:

Not many viruses anymore... unless you mean malware in general. Windows Phones will be in a walled garden similar to iPhones, though.

Agreed. Though I think viruses are overstated on the Windows platform because so many people are still using XP which was about as secure as a sign on your front door that says "The door is unlocked. Please don't steal anything."

Microsoft has made strides since XP but there are people who still insist it's superior, despite also complaining about its major shortcomings. When I upgraded my father to Windows 7 and told him "Defender and MSE is all you'll need. Period." his virus rate has dropped significantly. Anectdotal of course, but with reason. There's a big Difference between "XP and earlier" and "Vista onward" as far as security goes.

GAH! As a developer I want to kick whoever is setting policies at MS right now. So They come out with Win8, and it doesn't support the same programming model as WP7. Ok, so that was a good sign that WP7 was going bye bye, that kind of made sense even if it was flagrantly anti-consumer, but whatever.

But now, WP8 doesn't require Metro RT? It does run Native Code C++ and allows for interaction with DLLs directly instead of through Contracts? WTF? If this is right, then it actually looks like I have more freedom as a WP8 Dev than I do was a WinRT or Win8 Metor dev? This doesn't make any damn sense!!!!

I hope they release another 10k blog post on this to 'explain' it for me.

... I am still not getting WP8 though because I do not like their tile system which makes it a pain for those who like to use lots of apps.

The tile system is actually very useful, as it's a bonified home screen that shows me the information I want to see each time I turn on (or unlock) my phone. If I want to see a list of all my apps, I simply swipe to the right (a-la iPhone), and I see a nice long list of my apps that I can quickly scroll down. Or, I can click an alphabetical group letter (a, b, c, etc.), which pops up the alphabet, omitting those letters that have no apps under them, allowing me to click on a letter to jump down the list to my apps that start with that letter.

IMHO, after using an iPhone for a couple of years, I saw this as a welcome change for quickly opening the app I want, rather than having to swipe through "pages" of apps, which may or may not have folder groups.

Same here. It's actually why I bought one. It looks a little odd to folks used to Android or the iPhone, but I find it quite good in practice.

They have played very dirt with nokia and nokia users here. There is no reason that lumias cannot get this update other than the one-core CPU. This phones should have been shipped with a dual CPU for the update, with were available at the moment of the launch.

This kind of feels like a kick in the balls after I just got a Lumia 900.

It shouldn't, you made a good choice. Part of this announcement was the update to v7.8 for WP7 handsets, and it adds the new UI and many of the new features. The only stuff you lose is support for new hardware features(which your handset can't support anyways) and native code apps. WP8 apps that do not use native code will still work and be installable on WP7.8 handsets.

Given that it will be a year or two before many WP8 native code apps appear, you got the best phone of the current generation, it will be updated to essentially look/feel like WP8, and compatibility with most WP8 apps, and in two years when your contract is up, the WP8 app marketplace should be far more mature than it is today.

@mlubrov: as a developer I'd expect you to pay a bit more attention to the details. :-)

1. Contracts are a feature of Windows 8, and now Windows Phone 8, that have zippo to do with WinRT2. WinRT is the new, object model OS API on W8 _and_ WP83. You can write to WinRT with native OR managed code4. If you're a "Metro Dev", you're a "WinRT Dev"; it's the same thing.5. No, you don't have more freedom under WP8

This is all a good thing. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 now have the same programming model.

Also: considering a bunch of the UX improvements are coming to WP7, and that every WP7 device is running on hardware spec that's getting a bit long in the tooth, I don't really get what's "flagrantly anti-consumer" about this move, anyway...

"it does come at some cost: there won't be any ability to update current Windows Phone devices to the new operating system."

Boom.

That's the sound of the headshot to sales and, more importantly, margins on the likes of the Lumia 900.

Mr. Bright's article on the 900 being "a good phone you probably shouldn't buy" now looks positively prescient. Nokia will be in for some really rough quarters coming up as the write-downs on WP7 hardware will be steep. It'll also might mean RIM's BB10 has a little more of a fighting chance.

I'd guesstimate no more than 5% of shoppers care about the upgrade. 10% at best. I see most people around me with Android or iOS who don't even know what version they are running right now, let alone base their shopping on a future prospect of an upgrade.

You should buy a phone if it satisfies your needs as it is sold. Also, if you avoid the long-term contracts and just pay for the device upfront, you can sell it off later if you want to upgrade. And no, paying for a contract-free device does NOT result in overall higher cost if you choose an appropriate plan.

Yes it does. If I go out and get a new iPhone 4S through contract, I spend $200, and my bill every month is X dollars. If I go out and buy a new iPhone 4S outright, my bill every month is still going to be X dollars. It's not going to be cheaper because I paid for the phone. There's no reason to buy the phone outright, if I plan to use it until the next "free" upgrade. If I don't, then there's some value to the extra freedom I got for my $600 dollars. Of course, the value is wasted if I don't switch between carriers as the whim takes me, so I'm going to get my contract phone, and switch when contracts expire, like all the rest of the sensible people out there. And spend my extra $600 on something cooler than a phone.

As a WinMo 6.5 and WP7 user, it appears that all but one of my biggest grievances is gone.

I will probably choose Android or BB QNX devices if there is not a file explorer (even if sandboxed or cloud).

Live Drive and Sharepoint integration has been dismal. As soon as you have to send an unsupported file type or an attachment from the email app (very convoluted if it is not a photo) via email you are S.O.L.

It can be the difference between leaving your laptop at home when you go to the gym; or cutting your event short early.

As a WinMo 6.5 and WP7 user, it appears that all but one of my biggest grievances is gone.

Next year, I will probably choose Android or BB QNX devices in lieu of WP8, if there is not a file explorer (even if sandboxed or cloud would do the trick). Wait until you need to email an unsupported file type, more than one file, or as a response to an ongoing string. Pictures only from the email app, and office files only from the Office app.

It can be the difference between leaving your laptop at home when you go to the gym; or cutting your event short.

As a WinMo 6.5 and WP7 user, it appears that all but one of my biggest grievances is gone.

Next year, I will probably choose Android or BB QNX devices in lieu of WP8, if there is not a file explorer (even if sandboxed or cloud would do the trick). Wait until you need to email an unsupported file type, more than one file, or as a response to an ongoing string. Pictures only from the email app, and office files only from the Office app.

It can be the difference between leaving your laptop at home when you go to the gym; or cutting your event short.